UNQUESTIONABLY the personalities of the year have been Michelle Payne and her brother Stevie. The story behind Prince Of Penzance’s Emirates Melbourne Cup win captured the imagination of the Australian public, as much for Michelle’s forthright view on the chauvinism she has experienced in racing, as well as for Stevie’s role of living with Down Syndrome and being the groom of the Melbourne Cup winner.

Michelle has been lauded for raising the profile of sportswomen, inspiring a generation of young people and carried out innumerable media requests on television and radio. Stevie is an inspiration by example, giving people of all persuasions motivation to aim high and push through obstacles.